I’d planned things perfectly. I transferred all the supposedly “used-up” herbs into my personal spatial seal, leaving out only what could logically remain after normal pill production. He searched me thoroughly but couldn’t find any wrongdoing.
“Well, it seems you really managed to create the necessary pills.” - Chuk Cha Pyo surveyed the piles of precious pills in confusion. The storekeeper had already begun sorting them by type and category, guided by the labels and also by the Qi they emitted.
“Would you please confirm that in the jade slip?” - I asked, handing over the jade slip containing the pill list.
“Is everything here?” - the guild leader asked the storekeeper after looking over the jade slip.
“All pills are here” - he nodded.
Chuk Cha Pyo cast another doubtful glance at the massive trove of pills, then entered his signature into the jade slip to mark the assignment as complete.
“Thank you.” - I accepted the “document” with a bow. - “Now Mu Niam can’t wriggle out of his promise.”
“Mu Niam?” - Chuk Cha Pyo inquired.
“He promised to take me on a trip to the Dragons’ Dungeon if I made all the pills on this list.” - I once again showed him the jade slip.
“So that’s why you were in such a hurry” - the guild leader nodded.
I left the higher-ups to meditate over the pills and went off to “catch” my teacher. I settled in the central hall of the guild and spread out my psionic perception over the area. The alchemist who had promised to do something for Mu Niam was inside the building, so I was sure I wouldn’t miss my chance to join his expedition. I saw no point sitting around meditating in my own home. I needed “ancient knowledge” and a relative freedom of action, which only some far-off expedition could provide. After that, I’d just need to slip out from under my teacher’s supervision, and finally, I could really cut loose.
While I sat there “meditating” I overheard an interesting conversation between some alchemist apprentices.
“Did you hear that Grandmaster O Hu Yan suffered a serious injury, lost one cultivation level, and now his path in life is sealed off?”
“Yes, it’s a huge loss for the sect. He used to be on par with the guild leader, and now he’s fallen to the second level of Core Crystallization (22). Now only Mu Niam, who’s at the fourth level (24), has a chance at becoming a next guild leader. Plus, his advancement is still not at its limit. He might even reach the sixth level (26) in the future and become one of the sect’s junior elders.”
“What do you think about the new grandmaster? This Tan Ji Tao from the Outer Court?”
“Hard to say. He broke through from the seventh level (07) to the tenth level of Qi Condensation (10) in just one day. On top of that, they say he’s the one who inflicted the mental trauma on Grandmaster O Hu Yan by deliberately crushing his self-confidence. If in the next few months he manages to enter the Foundation Formation stage [2], his future will be limitless.”
“Yeah. Meanwhile, all we can do is sigh and envy his talent. Oh well! I’ll soon be able to produce a mid-grade restorative pill and become an apprentice myself!”
I stopped listening to their chatter after that. Overall, the news about me was spreading quickly, and people were gradually coming to terms with the fact that I would soon be recognized as one of the sect’s geniuses.
The moment Mu Niam stepped through the Alchemists’ Guild doors, he nearly bumped noses with a beaming me, dressed in the ceremonial robes of a grandmaster alchemist.
“Greetings, Teacher” - I addressed him.
“Tan Ji Tao? You’re back already? And why do you look so pleased with yourself?” - he asked suspiciously, noticing that onlookers were quietly drifting closer so they wouldn’t miss anything important.
“I’ve completed your assignment by producing all pills from the list given to me by the sect leader. And now I’m fully prepared to accompany you to the Dragons’ Dungeon. I’ve already packed everything and I’m ready to leave, even right this minute” - I said with a cunning smile.
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“You made all those pills? Don’t make me laugh. That was at least a year’s supply of elite pills for the entire sect” - Mu Niam retorted dismissively, glancing at the gathering crowd.
“Here’s a jade slip with confirmation, personally signed by Chuk Cha Pyo” - I showed him my “proof.”
Mu Niam immediately snatched the stone and scanned it.
“Are you trying to trick me?” - he asked, not quite believing what he read. - “Let’s go to the warehouse. I want to see for myself.”
“Certainly, Teacher” - I replied with a triumphant smirk, stepping aside to let him go first.
The crowd followed us, whispering under their breath. We reached the warehouse, but before Mu Niam could ask a single question, the storekeeper hurriedly addressed him.
“Mu Niam, your disciple is a genius! You won’t believe it, but in just one night he managed to create a staggering number of rare and valuable pills. They look a bit different, but we’ve already tested their effects. They’re one hundred percent effective! Look, here’s the Heavenly Foundation Crane Pill. Isn’t it wonderful?”
“I want to see these pills myself” - my teacher responded irritably, still suspecting a setup.
But when they took him to the pill storage area and showed that it was crammed to the brim, his jaw dropped and his eyes practically popped out of their sockets.
“How is this possible? Tan Ji Tao, did you really make all these pills?” - he blurted out.
“Of course, Teacher” - I replied respectfully, bowing. - “I achieved the impossible for the sake of traveling to the Dragons’ Dungeon. I hope you’ll now fulfill your promise and take me with you.”
Mu Niam grimaced as though he’d bitten into a lemon. But when he saw the dazzled faces of the onlookers, equally astonished at the contents of the huge cabinets, he realized there was no way to refuse me without losing everyone’s respect. To them, I was already a living legend. And if he turned me down for some flimsy excuse, people’s anger would fall on him, destroying his reputation.
“Very well” - he sighed heavily. - “Come with me.”
The crowd made way for us, murmuring as we passed. We went to see the same alchemist from the previous day, and he handed Mu Niam a small pouch. After that, my teacher headed straight to one of the exits. Outside, three cultivators were waiting, clearly fighters at a glance. They wore identical uniforms, the same armor, and their faces were concealed behind identical masks. Their cultivation levels ranged from the fifth (25) to the seventh stage of Core Crystallization (27), which was considered quite remarkable by local standards.
“Meet First, Second, and Third” - Mu Niam introduced them to me.
“What original names” - I snickered, memorizing the “taste” of their personal Qi.
“I was intrigued by how you gave temporary names to your team members back in the Geyser Valley” - the teacher explained. - “No need for outsiders to know my escorts’ names.”
“All good, but they’re too similar” - I nodded approvingly. - “I’d paint numbers on their foreheads: one, two, three.”
“How dare you!” - one of the bodyguards exclaimed.
“Third, don’t lose your temper” - Mu Niam admonished him.
“I’m First!” - the man retorted irritably.
A brief pause ensued as everyone digested what had just been said.
“You see” - I said with a satisfied grin.
“All right, I’ll think about it” - My teacher said as he looked over his escorts again. - “For now, we’re heading out. Tan Ji Tao, you’ll have to keep up on your own. We don’t have the capacity to carry you.”
“No problem. You know I can walk on air” - I replied with a carefree smile.
Mu Niam gave a slight smirk and rose into the air, and the others followed him. I also started “running” trying not to lag behind. For the first five minutes, we traveled at a moderate pace, then Mu Niam began to speed up. In response, I formed shields beneath my feet that moved at a decent speed, increasing my “running” speed. The teacher threw me an annoyed look and accelerated further, but I still kept up, holding a steady distance of three steps behind him. We continued like that for about ten minutes until Mu Niam reached his top speed. I could feel how he was pushing himself to the limit. His three bodyguards also seemed to find such a speed unnatural, radiating anxious emotions.
“Teacher, maybe we can go faster?” - I asked innocently, flying right up to Mu Niam and not even pretending to move my legs anymore. Shields covered my body, protecting me from the wind that was literally shredding my companions’ clothing. - “Don’t worry; if need be, I can travel twice as fast.”
“Gah!” - My “victim” coughed up blood, immediately slowing to a more comfortable pace. - “What kind of monster are you?” - he looked at me with alarm.
“I’m Tan Ji Tao, grandmaster alchemist and your disciple” - I introduced myself.
“Now I understand why O Hu Yan suddenly collapsed from a destabilized Core” - Mu Niam drawled. - “He wasn’t prepared for these kinds of shocks.”
“Come on, Teacher, what shocks? As long as you’re useful, your health won’t be in danger” - I hinted not-so-subtly. - “In fact, quite the opposite: your success is my success.”
At those words, we exchanged glances, re-evaluating each other’s toothy smiles. Mine was genuine; my opponent’s was decidedly forced.
The rest of our journey was extremely dull. We flew and flew, stopping to rest only during the darkest part of the night when the moon sank below the horizon and we risked crashing into some mountain by accident. Thus, a week passed, and then the wild forests, fields, and mountains abruptly gave way to settled lands. Most importantly, the concentration of Qi in the air increased just as suddenly. The number of invisible Qi currents also grew by two orders of magnitude.